Australia: Socialist Alliance launched to fight federal elections
[Workers Power Australia, March 2001]
Eight left organisations have united to form the Socialist Alliance, a combined electoral front to contest this year's federal election in Australia.
Meeting in Sydney on February 17, the Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), the International Socialist Organisation (ISO), the Freedom Socialist Party, the Workers League, the Worker-Communist Party of Iraq (Australian branch), Workers Power and Workers Liberty agreed to form the alliance. Socialist Democracy has also agreed to join. Others also are likely to get on board.
Workers Power welcomes the recent formation of a Socialist Alliance in Australia. This call for unity amongst the left provides us with the opportunity of working together against the real enemy – the bosses and Howard’s government – in a way we’ve not had years.
In the context of the Federal Election, the plans for mass protests on May Day, plus the continuation of industrial disputes such as in the LaTrobe Valley, the Socialist Alliance has great potential to grow.
The recent swings to Labor in the WA and Qld elections bode well for the Socialist Alliance, as these indicate a shift to the left in large sections of Australia.
Fighting alternative
At the same time, sections of workers, and even young anti-capitalist activists, while voting for Labor, are fast becoming or are already disillusioned with the ALP. A Socialist Alliance could provide a real and viable alternative to Labor – one that actually represents the interests of the working class.
It is therefore important that this alliance not only aims to stand in the elections, but that it proves itself as a fighting organisation right from the beginning. We support the call for the Socialist Alliance to "stand to offer an alternative that Labor is not. We recognise that on issues such as the GST, health, education, Labor is offering far less than what traditional Labor voters want."
While at the same time, we will not abandon those that continue to vote for Labor. The Socialist Alliance currently is "for the election of a Labor Government, and for workers and their unions to take action to win their demands."
Good enough for M1 – Good enough for a Socialist Alliance
Of course, a Socialist Alliance must be founded on a action plan – a plan of what it will do in the struggles of workers and the oppressed, both today and tomorrow. The draft platform is currently being debated.
While the platform is good overall - addressing many of the key issues facing workers, unemployed, women, aboriginal people and refugees – there are some key weaknesses.
In the context of the rise of One Nation and media hysteria over "Boat people", refugees and "illegal" immigrants, it is essential that a Socialist Alliance is absolutely clear on the issue of immigration controls. Workers Power fights for the demands of "Open borders, no immigration controls and full citizenship rights for all immigrants" to be part of the Socialist Alliance platform.
We argue that far from "closing doors" to prospective members, it will push to the forefront the hypocrisy of a world which allows money, capital and the capitalist class to fly across national borders, but refuses this right to the vast majority who are simply trying to survive and escape the worst effects of global capitalism.
No to Australian Troops
One demand calls to "stop Howard's military expansion and promote peace and international co-operation; no military or diplomatic ties with repressive regimes".
Socialists are not for Howard’s approach to "promoting peace and international cooperation". Every example of the Australian government’s approach to peace has meant misery and poverty for the local people, while policing our borders and preventing refugees from entering our country. The profits ripped from the hands of the East Timorese in the Timor Gap is just one example of this.
We are not in favour of the Australian government breaking diplomatic ties with repressive regimes, as this is in effect a declaration of war on these countries – a war in which Australia, with the full backing of its partners in the US and Britain, can only cause destruction to the local working class and peasantry.
We call the Socialist Alliance to take up the demand: No funding to the Australian military.
Workers self-defence
Finally, we are against the call for bringing the police "under democratic community control". The police cannot be reformed, as they are employed for the express purpose of defending the interests of the capitalist class and government. This was shown again at S11, where the police were sent in to break up peaceful pickets, and sent in by an ALP government, to defend the interests of the elite minority attending the World Economic Forum.
Instead, we argue that the Socialist Alliance should fight for organised workers self-defence against racism and police attack, and in defence of all strikes, working class communities and other struggles. We are for all strikes and industrial disputes being under the control of rank and file workers, through democratic mass meetings and strike committees.
Nevertheless, the Socialist Alliance has the potential to provide a real and lasting alternative to all those that have been struggling in Australia under 30 years of economic rationalism – hospital cutbacks, job losses, anti-union laws, the continued dispossession of Aboriginal people from their land.
We support this call for a fighting and united alternative to Labor.
[Workers Power Australia March 2000]
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[Workers Power Australia, March 2000]